Is the sudden end to the 40 year run of Little Village’s Cinco de Mayo parade the nail in the gentrification coffin?

PERSPECTIVE: Pilsen's Cinco de Mayo parade was yanked from the calendar just six days before its May 6 kick-off date, leaving business owners and would-be parade goers in Little Village and Pilsen with nothing but questions.

Hope Academy’s Dorian Robinson is on The Real Chi’s sports spotlight

INTERVIEW: Basketball generally requires athletes with massive strength, enormous height, and mental toughness. It tests the great essence of agility and builds high endurance. Most people would expect a 5 foot 7 inch guard to struggle with adjusting to the hard-nose and gritty Chicago high school basketball style, but Hope Academy point guard Dorian Robinson doesn’t seem to agree with that assumption.

The Real ChiDonell McNairyMay 29, 2018sports, Isi Ativie, arts & cultureComment

In The Loop Out The Blue: Episode 1: Keepin' Hope Alive featuring Rachel Williams

PODCAST: In this premiere episode of the Real Chi’s podcast, we dive deeper into the conversation on the disparity South side students face in education, discipline and all around love from their city.

For our schools, In our streets

PHOTO ESSAY: On April 20th, students around the nation staged School Walkouts to protest against gun violence and for increased gun control. They chose April 20th because it marked the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting massacre of 1999.

Retired CPS teacher shares black women’s musical achievements at Douglass Branch Library

Ora Dobbins, a retired CPS music teacher, is on a mission to assert the role black women played in popularizing various American music genres.

City funds East Garfield Park orchard only after securing grant to use it to mitigate expensive stormwater damage

For four years, the people of East Garfield Park have pushed the city for solutions to the daunting scarcity of healthy food in the neighborhood. On Feb. 26, the city finally agreed to help fund the development of the East Garfield Park Community Eco Orchard.

South Side choreographer fears sidelining of black creators as hip hop dance blows up

VIDEO: Hip hop dance has been rapidly gaining popularity in recent years, largely due to the advent of omnipresent social media.

Video Profile, The Real ChiDonell McNairyMarch 30, 2018Briana Madden, music, arts & cultureComment

In Chicago, not all protests are equal: A look into the politics of policing black and brown youth

As the dust settles on last week’s National School Walkout, youth activists have been praised and sanctioned by the public for their civic participation. However, in Chicago not all students have been treated equally, with many from majority black and brown schools facing heavy scrutiny from school administrators.

Nichols Tower is Re-emerging as the ‘crown jewel’ of North Lawndale

VIDEO: North Lawndale was a booming economic hub of Chicago in the early 1900s when the community was filled with major businesses including Sears Roebuck and Western Electric. Overtime, as demographics changed, Sears and other businesses left the neighborhood and poverty levels began to increase.

South Side students on National School Walkout Day: “closing our schools is violence”

VIDEO: On March 14, students nationwide walked out of their schools to stand in solidarity with Stoneman Douglas High School students in a symbolic protest for stricter gun laws in light of the Parkland, FL shooting that happened a month ago.

The Media’s story, but NOT the community’s truth

VIDEO: Chicago’s black and brown neighborhoods are depicted and looked at as dangerous. Lacking work programs, positive resources for the youth and community at large, many outsiders looking in only get a small glimpse of what is really happening.

Video Profile, The Real ChiDonell McNairyMarch 5, 2018Chelsea Berry, RCY News Package/Doc, neighborhood & politicsComment

CPS makes a final call: Despite weeks of protests and community opposition, CPS votes to close South Side schools

VIDEO: On Feb. 28, students, parents, teachers, organizers and concerned community members filled the Chicago Public School’s downtown office as the board was scheduled to take their final vote on the closure of four South Side high schools and an elementary school.

ICAH organizers and youth host Title IX Townhall

VIDEO: On Feb. 20, the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health (ICAH) and sponsors hosted a Title IX townhall at the National Museum of Mexican Art.

Organizers March to Rahm's House To Stop South Side School Closings

VIDEO: On Feb. 19, Real Chi Youth reporters Alloíza Mari and Pascal Savino followed organizers from BYP 100 and Teachers For Social Justice, and students from the National Teachers Academy as they marched to Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s house in Ravenswood.

Emanuel’s Campus Appearances Face Increasing Opposition

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Feb. 20 speech at Harvard University was met with resistance from students of the university, many of whom believe that the decision to host Emanuel ignores the impact that the mayor’s policies have had on black and brown communities in Chicago.

Inmates to Individuals: Resources for the Formerly Incarcerated

VIDEO: Cook County Jail released over 2,000 inmates in December 2017. Over 90 percent of those returning citizens are African American, and roughly 20 percent are African-American women.

Black-owned health food store brings new life to North Lawndale food desert

VIDEO: North Lawndale has a long standing reputation as a food desert, being a neighborhood that does not have any large grocery stores or supermarkets. A Real Chi Youth reporter sat down with New Life owner Ray Barney to discuss what this health food store is bringing to the community.

Students urge CPS against a facility-solution to a funding problem

At the third and final public hearing on the closure of four Englewood neighborhood high schools, a Harper High School student asked the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education: “What are you so intimidated of? Is it the way we walk? Is it the way we talk? Is it the fact that we are going to fight for something you didn’t think we were going to fight for?”

News Article, The Real ChiDonell McNairyFebruary 8, 2018CPS, neighborhood & politics, Arlana Shikongo, The Real Chi, education & youthComment

North Lawndale Residents Need a New Library

Eleven concerned North Lawndale residents met on the morning of Dec. 9, 2017 to hold an inspection documenting the unfortunate state of their local library. They found out-of-date computers, extensive water damage, exposed radiators and other damage.

News Article, The Real ChiFSM CommunicationsFebruary 1, 2018criminal justice reform, Alloiza Mari, The Real ChiComment

Teacher of the Month, Mentor for Life

A former Kenwood Academy teacher talks about throwing out the lesson plan and building relationships with students